Improvement in letter-boxes



tritati (Stairs SAMUEL STRONG, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

Letters Patent No. 94,449, dated August 31, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN LETTER-BOXES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the Same.

To all whom it may concer-n.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL STRONG, of the city of Washington, and District of Columbia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Street LetterBoxes; and I do hereby dce-lare that the following is a. full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the annexed drawings,A making part of my specilication. l

In order to enable those skilled in the art to malte and use my invention. I will proceed to describe it.

Figure l. represents a front elevation of the closed box;

Figure 2 represents a front view of the saine, open and ready to receive letters;

.Figure 3 represents a vertical section of the b'ox when closed; and Il,

Figure fi, a vertical section ofthe boxwvhen-opcn.

A represents tho box, which is provided with a door, B, for the removal of letters or other inail-matter. The top of said box is in the i'orin of an arch or scmicircle.

In iigs. 3 and 4, the box is shown in section, in which the top forms the are ot' a circle, the centre. of which is at the point through which the shaft C passes.

'.lbe shaft C passes through the box from front to rear. The end ol' the shaft at the front projects through the box, and has attached to it a weighted handle, D,

Y and a plate, G.

the handle comes in contact. 'lhe plate G, attached to the shaft O, is removed from the opening H, and the blades E and'F are brought to'position shown in fig. 4i The letters drop into the compartment forni ed by the blade F and back part of the blade E.

When the handle is released, it falls, by its weight, to its original position against a stop, J, as shown in iig. l. The plate G is brought over, and closes the opening H, and the blades E and F arebrought into the position shown in fig. 3, precipitating the letters into the lower part or body of the box.

It will be seen, that in whatever position the blades E and F may be, they eil'ectually .out oil` the communication between the opening H and the lower part or body of the box, which contains the mail-matter, and when closed, as shown in iig. 1, the opening H is covered by the plate G, and thus absolute security is obtained.

The blades E and F, the handle D, and cover G, are all attached to the shaft C, so that bysmply turning the handle, all the moving-parts of the inachine 'are operated directly by said shaft, without any gearing whatever to connect one moving-part with another.

Having thus described .my invention,

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is`l` The shaft C, with the blades E and F, cover G, and handle D, all attached to said shaft, in combination with the aperture H, and a weight or weights to turn the said blades and cover back to their places automatically, as described, all being constructed, arranged, and operating substantially as set forth.

SAMUEL STRONG.

Vifitnesses Amos HUNT, DANL. J MOFFAT. 

